Just a game?
by Sammy Solo
Summary: A boy invents a video game that sends his best friend spiraling into the world of Harry Potter! Please R&R!!!
1. Hook me up!

A/N: Hey guys, it's me again!! I actually had a dream that started this story. . .hope it's as fun as my dream was. Oh, and in case you guys were wondering, I'm not JK Rowling. I don't own Harry Potter, or anything else you may recognize. Review and tell me what you think!!!  
~Sammy Solo  
  
There was one good thing about having a friend who aspired to be a mad scientist: you got to try out all his new inventions. When I got home from school that Friday- late, and in a rather sour mood, I might add- the phone was ringing off the hook. I threw my schoolbag into a corner of the living room and picked up the phone.  
  
"Hello?" I growled into the receiver, almost hoping it was a telemarketer so I would have an excuse to tell someone off. It wasn't.  
  
"Jess? Hey, it's Cole. You won't believe what I did after school today. I. . ."  
  
"Cole, wait," I interrupted him. "I've had a really long and crappy day and I don't want to. . ."  
  
It was his turn to interrupt. "Jess, I finished the game."  
  
"Cole, I. . ." The words froze in my mouth as the weight of what he had said began to sink in. "W-wait," I finally managed to get out. "You mean the game?"  
  
I could hear the smile in his words. "Yup. The game." I was stunned into silence, my chin dropping a few inches. "You wanna come over and try it?" he inquired.  
  
"Do you even have to ask?" I replied. "I'll be right over!" I hung up the phone, grabbed my schoolbag, scribbled a short note to my parents that I was going to Cole's and wasn't sure what time I'd be home, and headed out the door.  
  
* * * *  
  
I knocked on the door labeled:  
  
Warning: Dangerous Area, Enter At Your Own Risk!  
  
"What's the password?" came Cole's voice from behind the wooden door.  
  
"Let me in, Cole," I said, my bad mood starting to creep back. "And don't make me say that stupid thing."  
  
"Can't let you in unless you say the password," he replied in a mimicking voice. "How do I know you're not some government agent trying to steal my research and cool inventions?"  
  
Now I was really getting annoyed. "Cole, if you don't open this door. . ."  
  
". . .Then you don't get to play the game," he finished for me. "And if you don't say the password, then I don't open the door."  
  
I sighed and mumbled the secret password under my breath.  
  
"What was that?" Cole asked, obviously stifling laughter. "I didn't quite hear it."  
  
"Cole is the master of my universe, and the little blue bunnies control my every move." The door finally creaked open to show Cole sitting on the top stair, laughing uncontrollably. His bright blue eyes were filled with tears behind safety goggles and his blonde hair, usually up in small spikes, was matted down by the strap of the goggles. "Ha ha, very funny," I grumbled sarcastically, pushing past him and heading down the steps.  
  
"Wait!" he cried, before I had gotten three steps past him. I spun around, wondering what was wrong. He was staring at me with scorn in his eyes. "You forgot your goggles," he growled, dangling a pair of plastic safety goggles in front of my eyes. I smiled innocently and grabbed the goggles, sliding them over my head as I finished descending the stairs. There was another door at the bottom with another sign:  
  
Warning: No One Without Goggles Allowed Beyond This Point  
  
I reached out and turned the handle of the door to discover that it was locked. "You locked it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "If you and I are the only ones home, who's gonna get in?"  
  
"Better safe than sorry," he replied, pulling a key out of his white lab coat and unlocking the door. It creaked open, and he and I stepped in.  
  
Cole had spent any money he made working over the summer transforming the basement of his house into a laboratory. Different colored lights flickered all around the basement, and the humming of electronics echoed off of the walls. With obvious excitement, Cole led me over to the back corner of the room. A small circular section was cut off from the rest with a metal bar coming out from the wall. Beside the circle sat a machine with a small TV resting on top. To the side, three helmets with matching white bodysuits hung next to the machine. I had seen this machine many times- it was Cole's greatest dream, his most crowning achievement.  
  
"Okay, so how does this work?" I asked, examining the equipment with a wary eye.  
  
"Well, the neurotransmitters in your brain will connect to the electrodes produced in the helmet to create a fully psycho. . ."  
  
"Enough!" I stopped him. "Explain it to me like I was four years old."  
  
"Okay, little Jessie," he said in the voice he often used to talk to his younger brother. "The pretty little lights and wires will flash all around and make the game fun."  
  
I gave him my best "I'm-ready-to-kill-you" look and he stopped laughing. "Well," he said in a more serious voice. "Basically the machine will go into your brain and fashion the game based on the things in your mind. Any experiences you've dreamed of having can be yours in this game."  
  
A thousand different scenarios flashed through my mind and the adrenaline started to flow. "Hook me up!" I cried, hurrying over to a body suit and pulling it on over my black swishy pants and white T-shirt. Blushing slightly as he helped me into the suit, Cole explained everything I needed to do.  
  
"I should be able to talk to you the whole time," he said. "With every new adventure, you should receive new inventory items, which you'll be able to access through me." He finished, fastening the last strap on the suit. I nodded my understanding and let him lead me to the small circular area. I ducked under the metal bar and, following Cole's instructions from the other side of the bar, finished hooking the suit and helmet up to the machine. "Okay," he said, when we had double-checked all the wires. "Push the big blue button to your left and that will put you into the game. I'll show you everything else you need to know once you get inside."  
  
Taking a deep breath, I smiled nervously at Cole, then pushed the button. I was suddenly falling into nothingness, the basement and my stomach disappearing above me. I was surrounded by darkness in an instant, and I cried out as I continued to fall. After what seemed to be an eternity that just kept getting darker, I hit something soft and rolled down a small incline. Coming to a stop, I lay there, catching my breath and trying to stop my stomach from churning. I pushed myself up off of the wet... grass? I stood up, confused. Wasn't this supposed to be a game?  
  
"Jess? Are you there?" I spun around as Cole's voice came from beside me. He was nowhere to be seen. "Jess?"  
  
"Cole?" I yelled, still spinning around looking for him. "Where are you?"  
  
"I'm still in the lab," he replied. "And don't yell, you'll kill my ears."  
  
"So I can just talk and you'll hear me?" I asked in a normal voice.  
  
"Yeah, so there's no need to shout. Anyway, take a look around. I should be able to see what you see, but the screen isn't working yet. What does it look like?"  
  
For the first time, I actually examined my surroundings. The incline I had rolled down was a small grassy hill. But it looked so real. . .  
  
"Cole, this is amazing," I said breathlessly. "The grass is wet, and I can even smell it like I was really here. There's no way this is just a game." I glanced at the sky. It was dotted with thousands of stars in various constellations. "Cole, I can't even describe this. You've got to see it."  
  
I heard him gasp. "I am seeing it, Jess. I just got the screen to work. It's. . .wow." I could hear the pride in his voice, and I couldn't help but smile. It had taken Cole so long to achieve this, and I was glad to be the first to be a part of it. He seemed to have shaken off his initial shock when he spoke again. "I can see what you see, but I can't see you. What are you wearing? What does it feel like? C'mon, Jess, tell me everything!"  
  
I took a second to gauge the way the air around me felt. "It's breezy, a little chilly, kinda like an early fall night. The grass is wet, so it's gotta be late night or early morning. I'm wearing. . . what the hell is that?"  
  
"What? What's wrong?" Cole's voice was dripping with concern.  
  
"There's these two. . . bar kind of things floating in front of me."  
  
"Oh, yeah," he said, sounding relieved. "The green one is your health in the game, and the blue one is your energy. When you run out of health, you lose. When you run out of energy, you will have to rest, or you'll move really slow, kinda like a computer with really bad LAG. And you won't be able to fight without any energy."  
  
"Fight?" It was my turn to sound concerned. "What do you mean fight? You didn't say anything about fighting."  
  
"Well, think about it. You have a black belt in martial arts, and any movies or shows or whatever that you like have some form of fighting or violence. If the game reads your thoughts, it'll see at least some of that."  
  
With a sigh, I pushed the worry from my mind and, looking past the health and energy bars, I glanced at my clothes. "I'm wearing exactly what I was wearing in real life. The only difference is I have a black belt on with a bunch of different pouches. What's that for?"  
  
"Oh, umm. . ." he paused for a second, then continued. "I guess that'll be for the inventory items you'll receive. You might not need me to access them after all."  
  
"You guess?" I didn't want to sound paranoid, and I knew Cole was trying his best, but this machine was connected to my brain in the real world.  
  
"You gotta give me a break here, Jess," Cole sounded nervous again. "You are the first person to try this thing. I'm learning all of this stuff for the first time too. If you want, I'll pull you out and I'll go in first."  
  
I sighed. "Sorry, Cole, I understand. Just a little nervous, with this thing attached to my brain and all." There was a short, awkward pause. "So... what do I do now?"  
  
"Play the game," he responded. "Look around for your first adventure. The top of that hill might be a good place to start."  
  
I took a deep breath and started to climb the hill. The grass was squishy under my shoes. I reached the top, and my breath caught in my chest. "Cole, are you seeing this?"  
  
"Yeah, I am." His voice was filled with the same amazement I was feeling. Looming in the distance was a huge castle with spires that looked like they were touching the stars. A path wound down from the castle to a black metal gate, lit with two torches stuck in the ground to either side. The gate lay down the other side of the hill.  
  
"Well," Cole said. "Go on in."  
  
I climbed down to the gate and pushed at it. It opened with a loud creak. As I stepped through, I gasped. A light tingling came over me, as if my whole body had suddenly fallen asleep and was on pins and needles.  
  
"What's wrong?" Cole asked, his voice filled with alarm.  
  
"I dunno," I replied, trying to shake off the feeling as it faded. "Something just happened, and I got kinda tingly all over."  
  
"Check your health and energy bars." I glanced down to see that both bars were completely full. But something else was different. . .  
  
"My clothes changed. That's what it was. Now I'm wearing a long black cloak kind of thing over my original outfit."  
  
"So, you're definitely okay?"  
  
"Yeah," I replied. "What's the big deal?"  
  
"Well, I'm not really sure what'll happen if you get hurt in the game. Maybe I should try it first, just to make sure."  
  
"No!" A little stubbornness crept into my tone. "I'm already here anyway, so I might as well stay in."  
  
He sighed, knowing from experience that once I made up my mind, there was no arguing with me. "Fine. But if something goes wrong, you've got to let me know right away, and we stop the game, no arguments. Deal?"  
  
"You got it." Feeling slightly better knowing that he was watching with a close eye, I started the path towards the castle. As I walked, something dug into my hip. I reached down and pulled an odd stick out of a pouch in my belt. It was round and larger at the base, slightly bent at the middle, then completely straight and thin at the top. It was light in weight, and as I gripped it the base seemed to conform to my hand. "Cole, what is this thing?"  
  
"Uh. . ." I heard some beeping and was about to ask what he was doing when he continued. "Computer says it's made of oak with a. . . phoenix feather inside? That can't be right. Why would they give you an oak stick as an inventory item?"  
  
I heard some more beeping, and suddenly everything made sense. A castle, a stick with a phoenix feather, a long black robe. . . "Cole, I'm at Hogwarts."  
  
"You're where?"  
  
"At Hogwarts. From Harry Potter. Honestly, don't you read?"  
  
"Yeah, I read them because you made me. That still doesn't mean that's where you are. Isn't this a copyright infringement?"  
  
"C'mon, Cole. I'm wearing a long black robe, walking towards a tall castle, and carrying a stick with a phoenix feather inside that could only be a wand. Besides, how are they gonna keep a copyright lock on my brain?"  
  
"Well, I guess. . ." he started, but was cut short as a scream echoed down from the castle. "What was that?" he finished.  
  
"My first adventure, I guess. Here we go!" I started off in a sprint towards the looming castle. I finally got there and pushed at the door, which creaked open to let me in. I stopped to catch my breath in a beautiful entrance hall. Intricate carvings lined the walls and two stairways- one up and one down- led off of the main floor.  
  
"Jess, computer says something changed. Check your bars." Him and that damn computer were getting kind of annoying, but I glanced down at myself.  
  
"The green one- health- is still all the way full. The blue one. . ." Another shriek- this one distinctly female- floated down from the staircase leading up. I started sprinting again, wand still clutched in my hand.  
  
"Jess, how's your energy?"  
  
"Don't worry about it," I responded breathlessly. "Just get me the Harry Potter books. I think I'm gonna need some spells." He told me that he would be right back, and I was alone for the first time in the game. It was just as well that I had been interrupted.  
  
He didn't need to worry that my energy bar was already almost half gone. 


	2. An adventure with the great Harry Potter

Chapter 2  
  
My sprint considerably slower than it had been before, I reached the third floor and stopped. I took a few deep breaths and glanced at my energy bar. It was more than half gone now, and, much to my surprise, I was starting to feel the effects. It was getting harder to catch my breath, and my muscles ached when I moved. Cole had said that things would get harder as the energy ran out, but I thought he was just being paranoid again.  
  
"Ron? Ron!" A male's voice reached me from my right. Trying to gain at least a little energy back, I walked in that direction. As I approached the end of the hall, I saw two figures leaning over another. One was a girl, with busy brown hair; the other, a boy with scruffy black hair and glasses. They were leaning over another boy with bright red hair. Having read the Harry Potter books, I immediately recognized Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, leaning over Ron Weasley. Ron's eyes were closed and his face was pale. Beyond them stood a tall wooden door, through which loud growling and barking could be heard.  
  
"Who're you?" Harry asked as I got closer, standing up and pointing his wand at me. Hermione stood up next to him, fingering her own wand.  
  
"Wait, wait," I replied, holding up my hands and almost dropping my wand. "I know you don't know me," I continued, hoping they would at least let me try to explain. "I've come to help. My name's Jess."  
  
"You're not British," Hermione stated, looking confused. "Where did you come from?'  
  
"Yeah, I don't go here. I'm from America." I eyed Ron uneasily. "Is he.?" He hadn't gotten hurt like this in the book, not until the end, but then I hadn't been in the book either. My presence may have changed everything.  
  
"No, he's just knocked out," Harry replied, and a little of my tension faded.  
  
"One of us should get him to the medical wing," Hermione said. Harry looked nervous.  
  
"Hermione, we know that this is going to happen tonight," he said.  
  
"Wait, Hermione can get Ron to the nurse, and Harry and I will go get the Stone." I immediately regretted mentioning the Sorcerer's Stone. In Harry and Hermione's minds, they were the only people, other than the Professors at the school, who knew that the Sorcerer's Stone even existed. For me to know that it was here at the school, and that they were going after it. let's just say they looked pretty confused.  
  
"How do you know about all this?" Harry asked, tightening the grip on his wand.  
  
"I.uh." I honestly didn't know what to tell them.  
  
"Say you're a friend of Professor Dumbledore's." Cole's voice was soothing in my ear. I felt instantly calmer now that he was back by my side, and I immediately trusted his advice.  
  
"Well, I wasn't supposed to tell you," I began. "But I'm a friend of Professor Dumbledore." They looked at me quizzically. "Yeah, you see, Dumbledore and I have been talking by phone."  
  
"By owl!" Cole yelled in my ear, making me flinch. "They communicate by owl, remember?"  
  
"By owl!" I amended. I chuckled nervously as the doubt on their faces deepened. "Guess I've been spending too much time around the.uh."  
  
"Muggles," Cole supplied.  
  
"Muggles," I continued. "So, when Dumbledore wrote to me about all the trouble that's been going on, and that the Stone may be in danger, and the great Harry Potter may be in danger, and that."  
  
"All right, we understand," Harry interrupted, and I fell silent. He thought for a second, then continued. "If you really are a friend of Dumbledore's and you know everything that's going on with the Stone, then answer this: What's the name of the alchemist who created the Sorcerer's Stone?"  
  
I tried to think, but the name escaped me. I coughed into my hand, sneaking a quiet "Cole!" into it.  
  
"I'm looking, Jess," he said, and I could hear pages flipping in the background. Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione were staring at me, both wands still pointed towards my chest.  
  
"Yes, well, Dumbledore's told me about him a few times," I said, stalling for time and desperately hoping that Cole found the name soon. Harry and Hermione were still first years, but both of them knew at least a few spells that I didn't want to get hit with. "For some reason I just can't remember his name."  
  
C'mon, Cole I thought. Harry's wand hand was getting pretty jumpy.  
  
"Flamel!" Cole yelled. "Nicolas Flamel!"  
  
"Oh, that's right," I said, trying to keep the relief out of my voice. "His name's Nicolas Flamel."  
  
They both seemed to relax, and their wand hands dropped to their sides. "Well," Hermione started. "If she's a friend of Dumbledore's we've got to trust her. We'll need all the help we can get."  
  
"Right," Harry said. "Hermione, take Ron down to the medical wing and send an owl to Dumbledore. Use Hedwig, she'd probably be the fastest. Jess and I will go protect the Stone."  
  
They hugged, and Hermione got a good grip on her wand. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she called, and with a swish and flick of her wrist Ron was lifted into the air. She moved her wand toward the stairs, and Ron floated that way. "Be careful!" she called over her shoulder as she levitated Ron down the stairs. Harry watched until they were out of sight, then turned to me.  
  
"Okay, through this first door is a three headed dog named Fluffy. There's a trapdoor about halfway into the room, and the only way to get to it is to put him to sleep with this." He held out a small wooden flute. "We go to the door, but then made a mistake and stopped playing, and Fluffy woke up again. He got Ron with one of his paws and knocked him out of the room." His face took on a worried expression. "I hope he's okay," he finished.  
  
I lay my hand on Harry's shoulder and looked into his bright green eyes. "He'll be okay, I know it. And the sooner we get the Stone, the sooner we can get to him. Now, what can we expect after Fluffy?"  
  
I was more asking Cole than I was Harry, but Harry didn't know that. "I don't know," he answered. "We only found out about Fluffy."  
  
"Devil's Snare," came Cole's voice. "Vine like things. In the book, Hermione shot flames out of her wand and it let them all go."  
  
"What was the spell?" I whispered, as Harry and I started towards the door. The growling coming from behind the door got louder as we approached. I absently looked down at energy bar; it was a little over half full. At least that was good.  
  
"No spell," Cole said. "It says 'she muttered something and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant.'"  
  
"So what did she use on Snape?" I asked. More pages flipped.  
  
"Still doesn't say. 'She whispered a few, well-chosen words.'"  
  
"So how do we beat it?" I asked more urgently, starting to get worried.  
  
"Don't get caught in it," he said. "Or.wait, wasn't there a spell they used in the fourth book to get flames?"  
  
"Yeah, find it if you can," I replied, a little hope starting to creep back in. "I'll try not to get us caught." Pages started flipping, and I grabbed Harry's arm. "After you jump past the trap door, you're gonna hit something soft. Roll off it right away, and get as far away as you can. It's a Devil's Snare."  
  
Harry looked surprised again. "How do you know what's to come?" he asked.  
  
"You've just gotta trust me. I know it's hard, but I know what I'm doing." He looked worried, but continued down the hall until we reached the door. He pulled it open and immediately began playing the flute. As I stepped into the room behind him, I was overcome with hot breath blowing against my whole body. A gargantuan, three-headed dog loomed over us, all three sets of teeth glistening with saliva. I took a step back, but Cole stopped me from going any further.  
  
"Jess, look at its eyes," he said. Dragging my eyes away from the teeth, I glanced up at the eyes of one of the heads. They were drooping sleepily and, looking to the others, I saw they were doing the same. When all the heads finally settled onto the floor, Harry pointed to the trap door, still blowing furiously into the flute. I tiptoed to the door and pulled hard on the handle. The door came up towards me. I looked up at Harry, who was walking towards me, his eyes still on Fluffy.  
  
"Remember, when you hit the Snare, get off right away," I whispered, and he nodded. "Cole, have you found the spell yet?"  
  
"Still looking; it's a pretty big book." I took a second to note that he was whispering too, though no one but me could hear him. "I'll find it soon."  
  
Taking comfort in his words, I drew a deep breath and jumped into the darkness under the door. Above me, I heard the flute stop playing, a few sharp barks, and then I landed on something soft. I immediately rolled away, continuing to roll until I fell off of the softness and landed hard, on my shoulder, on a cold cement floor. Pain shot down my arm and, glancing down at my health bar, I saw that a little of it had disappeared. I pushed myself to my feet, but before I had time to do anything else, a scream came from across the room.  
  
"Jess!" I whirled around to see Harry lying on the ground, a long vine twisted around his foot. He was being pulled toward the Devil's Snare, his wand lying a few feet to his right.  
  
"Cole!" I yelled, starting in a sprint towards Harry. "I need that spell, now!"  
  
"I haven't.wait! Here we go! Uh." I reached Harry as another vine wrapped around his leg.  
  
"Cole, now!"  
  
"There it is!" he cried. "Incendio! Say Incendio!"  
  
I flicked my wand towards the vines and yelled "Incendio!" Blue flames shot out the end of my wand and hit the main body of the Snare. It squealed in protest and pulled all its vines in towards it, releasing Harry. He stumbled over to his wand and picked it up, then came over to me.  
  
"Thank you," he said, still trying to catch his breath. "Where'd you learn that spell? And who's Cole?"  
  
"Do you always interrogate the people who save your life?" I asked, but he continued to look inquisitive, and I knew he definitely wouldn't trust me if I didn't give him an answer. I sighed and mumbled "Did you have to make him so smart?"  
  
"Hey, I didn't make him anything," Cole answered defensively. "Remember, this is coming from your head."  
  
"Then can't I make it go away?" I asked, knowing that Harry was staring at me with growing suspicion. "You know, just stop thinking that he's smart and he'll stop being smart?"  
  
"Sorry, Jess, it doesn't work like that. The game doesn't read just your thoughts; it reads what's already in your head. Even if you don't think he's smart, inside you know that he is. The game can still see that."  
  
"Okay, look," I said to Harry. "Cole is a friend of mine. When I said I was coming here to help with the Stone, he and I cast a spell so that we could talk in our minds. That way he could help me if we got into a jam. Incendio was his spell." Harry still looked skeptical, and I noticed that his wand was pointed in my general direction. "Hey, Cole and I just saved your life. I could leave now and let you try to get to the Stone yourself."  
  
He seemed to relax, but only a little. "Alright," he said. "But when all this is over, I want a full explanation."  
  
"That's fine. Now I suggest we get out of here. I'm not sure how long the spell will work."  
  
"Okay." We started off down the dimly lit corridor, me in the lead. I speculated that Harry had done that on purpose so he could watch me more closely.  
  
"Cole," I muttered. "I lost some health in the fall. How do I get it back?"  
  
"Umm. I don't know for sure. You might be able to find food or something to restore it. How's your energy?"  
  
I glanced down. "Almost gone, but we're walking now, so it should build up again. What challenge is next?"  
  
"Give me a sec." While he looked, I took note of our surroundings. The corridor sloped slightly downwards. The only sounds were that of dripping water and the scraping of our shoes on the stone floor. As we progressed, a slight beating and clinking could be heard coming from up ahead.  
  
"Do you hear something?" I asked, not really directing it toward either of the boys.  
  
"Yeah, I wonder what's next," Harry said thoughtfully.  
  
"Winged keys," Cole said. "There'll be broomsticks in the next room waiting for you. One of the keys will have crumpled wings because it's been caught already. Go for that one."  
  
He finished as we reached the end of the corridor. We stepped through a giant archway into a dimly lit room. Glancing, up, we saw thousands of tinkling lights, and there was no mistaking the distinct beating wings.  
  
"Wow," said Harry in awe. "That's a lot of birds."  
  
"They aren't birds, they're keys," I corrected. Looking around, I spotted a tall wooden door with three broomsticks floating in front. We jogged over, and Harry pulled on the door.  
  
"Locked," he said. He glanced at the broomsticks, then up at the keys. "How're we supposed to find the right one? There must be thousands."  
  
"Look for one with a bent wing or crumpled feathers," I replied, beginning my search from the ground. Tucking his wand into his belt, Harry grabbed a broomstick and headed into the air, flying through the keys in search of a bent wing.  
  
"Well, go help him," Cole said.  
  
"Are you nuts?" I asked. "I've never flown on a broomstick. I'll get myself killed before we even get to the Stone."  
  
"You are there to have an adventure, remember?" he replied. "Besides, it can't be too much different from riding a bike."  
  
As much as I didn't want to admit it, he was right. I was being no help on the ground, and if Harry had to find it by himself, we might be in this room forever. I dropped my wand into one of the pouches, then took a deep breath and straddled one of the brooms. I pulled up on the front and instantly shot into the air, crying out as my stomach got left on the ground. I stopped climbing as I slid into the cloud of keys and, once I could catch my breath again, started looking for the key. For a few minutes I just floated there, moving only my eyes and trying not to look down. Finally, out of the corner of my eye.  
  
"Harry! By your left foot!" Before I could blink Harry had taken off in a sharp dive for the key. He caught up and grabbed it, but it wouldn't stop pulling. He tried desperately to hold on to the broom and the key at the same time, but the beating wings were too strong. He was pulled from the broom. He dangled there for a few heart-stopping seconds as the wings of the key kept him suspended. But gravity was too strong. The small wings stopped beating, and Harry began a long plummet to the ground, the key still clutched in his hand. 


	3. A quick game of chess

A/N- Well, since no one's complained about the story, I'm gonna assume one of 2 things. 1.-No one read it. OR 2.- you read it and just didn't have time to review. Either way, I'm gonna update it again! HA!! Hope someone out there is enjoying it, and if you are, please review and tell me so I know that I should keep writing! Thanx a ton!! Bye!! Sammy Solo  
"Harry!" I cried out. I pushed down hard on the broom, starting a dive to try to catch the falling wizard. He screamed as he fell, every second getting closer to the ground. The wind rushed in my ears as I sped towards him. Harry was only a few feet from the ground. I wasn't going to make it.  
  
Then I felt something hard slam into me, and I was thrown from the broom and onto the floor. A sharp pain tore into my head and my side as I hit the cold cement. I groaned and lie still, catching my breath and waiting for the pain to fade.  
  
"Jess? Are you okay? Jess?" Cole's voice was brimming with worry.  
  
"Isn't this just a game?" I asked. "Why does it hurt?"  
  
"It is just a game." His voice carried some relief now that he knew I was capable of speech. "But, the game's gotta let you know somehow that you lost health. Every time you get hit it'll probably hurt a little more and a little longer so that you know you're getting lower."  
  
"But there's no damage to my real body?"  
  
"Not even a scratch." I sat up slowly as the pain began to fade. I suddenly remembered that Harry was here too. Glancing around, I spotted him by the door, struggling to get the key into the lock. I heard the lock click, and he released the key. Both wings now bent, it flitted sideways into the air and joined the cloud of its brothers.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked, as I climbed to my feet and dusted myself off. The pain was gone by now, and I saw that my health bar was a little more than half gone.  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?"  
  
"Yes, thanks to you. Great catch, by the way, and amazing speed. Do you play Quidditch?"  
  
I felt myself blush at the compliment. "No, I can't say I ever have. Anyway, we should keep going."  
  
"Yeah," Harry agreed, turning back to the door. "Snape might already be at the Stone." He pulled at the door at it come open with a loud creak. Something about his last statement hadn't seemed right. Then I remembered.  
  
"Snape's not after the Stone!" I cried, running after Harry into the darkened room beyond the door. "It's."  
  
The room around us suddenly lit up with torches on either side. Before us stood a gigantic chessboard, stretching across the room, with huge pieces set up for a new game. I completely forgot what I was going to say as we gaped at the intricately carved pieces.  
  
"I guess we've got to play our way across," said Harry nervously. "I sure wish Ron was here. He's an amazing chess player."  
  
"Cole, you're pretty good," I said. "Do you think you could play us through?"  
  
"As long as you help me out," he replied. "Remember, I'm watching this on a TV sized screen. You're gonna have to let me know where the pieces are and if I'm making a mistake. Why don't you have Harry be a knight, and you be the king. That way I can get him out of danger quickly and you won't be in danger unless we lose the game."  
  
"Okay, Harry. You're gonna be the black king, and I'll be the G8 knight." Harry nodded his understanding, and the black king obediently stepped off the board. The horse shaped knight went to step to the side, but I called out "Hey!" It stopped and spun towards me. "Uh.Can I sit on top of you? Give me a better view of the board and all."  
  
The knight jumped back onto its spot and I climbed up its back. "How did you and Harry switch places between my mouth and your ear?" Cole asked, annoyed.  
  
"Well, from up here, I get a better view of the board. Besides, Harry's more important than I am. He's the one who's gotta get the Stone."  
  
"Harry won't get the Stone if you don't make it through the challenges! The game will end when you."  
  
"They're starting," I interrupted. Across the board, white's E2 pawn had slid silently to E4.  
  
"Okay, Jess, move your knight up to F6."  
  
"Uh, giddy up," I commanded. The knight didn't budge. "Um, move, please?" Still nothing.  
  
"Tell it where to go," Harry called from his position a few squares away.  
  
"My knight to F6!" I yelled, and with a jolt the knight began to slide forward. The pawn in front stepped out of the way, and my knight moved through its square and the square in front. It continued sliding to the right one square and finally came to rest on F6. The white's B1 knight moved up to C3.  
  
"Okay, other knight to C6," Cole instructed. I called out the order, and the other black knight slid forward. The game progressed for a few minutes in this fashion, each side setting up its defensive positions. Then Cole saw his chance.  
  
"Jess, move up and take the G4 pawn," he said.  
  
"My knight to G4," I called. The knight slid forward, then reared up and slammed the pawn hard over its head. I struggled to hang on as the knight dragged the pawn off the board and returned to its square. "Wow," I said, at a loss for any other words. White made its next move, and the intensity level began to increase. Pieces were being taken all over the board. We were losing by two pieces, but just as I was about to comment about this I heard Cole gasp.  
  
"I see the checkmate," he said quietly. "Jess, get off of your knight; it's got to be taken." I started to climb down from my perch on the knight's back, but the white bishop on the square next to mine pushed me back up. I tried the other way, climbing to the front of the knight and dangling from his mouth, but the bishop moved to stop me, then returned to its spot.  
  
"Uh. what now?" I asked uncertainly.  
  
"I'll just find another way," he said, but I could hear the doubt clouding his voice. We needed to get this game over with; we couldn't afford to lose any more pieces.  
  
"Are you sure you've found the mate?" I asked, and he responded with a definite yes. "Then I can take the hit."  
  
"But Jess, you're health's gotta be almost gone with everything you've gone through so far. If you try to take a direct hit."  
  
"I'll jump off right before the knight gets hit," I said. "Don't worry, I can do it." With a resigned sigh, he told me the next move. I called it out and instantly saw what Cole was afraid of: the white queen had a direct diagonal path to my knight. She began to slide towards me.  
  
"Jess, watch out for the queen!" Harry called from his spot across the board.  
  
"Cole, what's the next move?" I asked as the queen drew nearer.  
  
"Rook to A7, checkmate," he said, his voice stiff.  
  
"Harry!" I yelled. "The last move is Rook to A7! I've got to be taken, so make the move in case I get hurt."  
  
"Jess, you can't!" he objected. "She'll kill you!"  
  
"I know what I'm doing!" I responded, and he nodded reluctantly. I turned back to the queen. She was three squares away, then two, then right next to me.  
  
"Jess, jump!" Cole and Harry yelled at the same time. The queen raised her fist, it came pummeling towards my head.  
  
I pushed off the knight and fell backwards. I heard a crunch as the queen hit the knight, then I landed on my back and pain shot through my body. I groaned and closed my eyes, hoping the pain would fade.  
  
"Rook to A7!" I heard Harry call. "Checkmate!" A loud clung echoed off the walls, followed by a lot of shuffling. I opened my eyes and Harry was at my side. "Are you alright?" he asked.  
  
"No," I said, sitting up. I glanced down at my health bar- there was less than a quarter of it left. "Help me up."  
  
He pulled me to my feet. The chess pieces had reset themselves for another game. "Come on," Harry said. "We've got to catch up to Snape before he gets the Stone." He started walking towards a door set into the wall behind the white pieces.  
  
"Harry, wait!" I called, painfully jogging after him. He paused just before he reached the door. "Snape's not after the Stone. It's Professor Quirrell, and Voldemort's with him."  
  
Harry looked stunned. "But Voldemort's too weak. He can't be here. And with Professor Dumbledore around." He stopped and gasped. "But Dumbledore left the school. Professor McGonagall said so herself."  
  
"Exactly. Voldemort wants the Stone so he can keep himself alive and gain some of his power back."  
  
"Now we've really got to hurry," he said with a fresh determination. Grabbing the door, he pulled it open. A rancid smell escaped from the now open doorway. I pulled my shirt up over my nose, blinking back tears that welled up in my eyes from the stench. I stepped into the room and saw a huge figure lying on the ground. Its legs looked like they could pass as tree trunks, its head was covered in warts, and a giant club was lying clutched in its hand.  
  
"What is that?" I asked, fighting back the urge to throw up.  
  
"A troll," Harry answered, the reply muffled by the edge of his cloak as it covered his nose and mouth. "Glad we didn't have to fight it." We quickly made our way toward the other side of the room.  
  
"Cole, you still with me?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm trying to figure out how to get you some health back. How bad is your health?"  
  
"Almost gone," I replied. "What's the next obstacle?"  
  
"Snape's potion challenge," he said, flipping pages.  
  
"Well, at least I'll only lose health if I drink from the wrong bottle. Does it say which one it is?"  
  
"Hold on," he said. "I'll find it." Harry had reached the door leading out and pulled it open. I hurried forward, desperate to escape the smell. I followed him through the door and took a deep breath of clean air. As soon as we were both through, purple flames shot up behind us. Across the room, black flames blocked the doorway leading out. In the middle of the room lay a long table with seven bottles lined up on top. They were all different shapes and colors. Harry stepped to the table and picked up a piece of paper.  
  
"'Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind," he read aloud. "Two of us will."  
  
"It's the smallest bottle," Cole said in my ear. "That one will get you through the black flames ahead. But in the book, there was only enough for one person. How will you both get through?"  
  
"It's the smallest bottle," I told Harry. He stopped reading and picked up the smallest bottle on the table.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked. "There's only enough in here for one person, from the looks of it."  
  
Lost in thought, I picked up one of the other bottles and swirled the little bit of liquid inside. It too only had enough for one sip. There had to be a way.  
  
"Wait," Cole said, stunning me out of my thoughts. "All the bottles only have enough for one person. If Quirrell or Voldemort or whoever it is already got through the flames, then the bottle shouldn't have anything in it at all, right?"  
  
I gasped and nearly dropped the bottle. "That's right!" I placed my bottle back in its place and grabbed Harry's out of his hand.  
  
"What's right?" he asked, obviously confused.  
  
"If Quirrell already got into the Stone, then there shouldn't be anything left in the bottle at all, right? But there is enough for one person. Which means that somehow the bottle must refill itself. Cole, which bottle will get us back through the purple flames?"  
  
He paused, then responded, "The round bottle at the right end of the table."  
  
"Okay, Harry. I'm gonna drink this and go forward. Once I'm gone, wait for a few minutes. If the bottle doesn't refill itself, drink." I found the right bottle and picked it up. ".This bottle. It will take you back. Go and get Dumbledore and bring him here."  
  
"Wait," Harry objected. "Since I've faced down Voldemort before, shouldn't I be going through to him?"  
  
"Well," I reasoned. "I'm the older and more experienced wizard here, and I'm a friend of Professor Dumbledore's. He trusts my judgement, and so should you." He nodded reluctantly. I lifted the bottle toward my lips.  
  
"'Older and more experienced wizard'?" Cole was obviously struggling not to laugh. I ignored him and drained the contents of the bottle. It felt like ice running through my veins, but I gained a renewed sense of determination, almost like I had gotten my second wind. I glanced down to see that my health and energy bars were completely full. I shivered and started forward into the flames.  
  
"Cole, I got my energy and health back," I said as got closer to the flames. Then, to Harry, "Remember, if the bottle doesn't refill, go back."  
  
"Good luck," Cole said in a tight voice, filled with concern. I couldn't help smiling to know that he was here with me. I stepped through the black flames and into the next room, prepared to face the most powerful and evil wizard of all time. 


	4. The end or the beginning?

A/N: As I sat down to update this morning, I took a moment to note the fact that I still didn't have any reviews. So I decided to take drastic measures: I'M UPDATING AGAIN!!! Ha! Apparently no one is reading this anyway, so no one will care that I update. But, if you happen to care, please review and tell me. Even if you think it's the worst story in the world, please let me know!!!!!! To those of you who don't exist that are reading this story, this is the last chapter!!! If I do continue the story, like I said I might in the first chapter, I'll add another chapter and let you know. Thanx a bunch!!! ~Sammy Solo  
I strode out of the black flames and into the room beyond. It was a circular chamber with a high ceiling and a mirror standing in the middle. In front of the mirror was a rather small man with a turban wrapped around his head. I knew it immediately to be Professor Quirrell, Hogwarts's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I crept quietly up behind him, pulling my wand from its pouch at my side. Taking a deep breath, I prepared to cast my spell, but before I had the chance, he whirled around to face me. He was smirking, but as he looked at me surprise clouded his face.  
  
"I must say, I was rather expecting Potter to find me here," he said in a cold voice. "No matter. I guess I'll have to kill you instead." He pointed a wand at me and mumbled something that I couldn't quite hear. A bright green light shot out of his wand and streaked towards my chest. I dove aside as it came closer and when I hit the ground and looked up the wall behind me was scorched black.  
  
"Incendio!" I yelled, pointing my wand in his direction. Blue flames shot out the end of my wand and, though he moved quickly, the end of Quirrell's cloak caught fire. He cursed and pointed his wand at his cloak, extinguishing the flames. "Cole!" I yelled, climbing to my feet. "Cole, what's the spell to."  
  
"Expelliarmus!" Cole said, reading my mind like only a best friend could. "Cast Expelliarmus!"  
  
I pointed my wand at my opponent and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" He went flying backwards and his wand shot straight into the air. He hit the wall with a sickening thud and slumped down. I caught his wand as it tumbled and shoved it into one of the pouches on my belt. Glancing over, I saw that he was starting to get up. I dove in front of the Mirror of Erised, silently urging it to give me the Stone. I watched as behind my reflection a crowd formed, clapping and cheering. Another figure arrived beside me, fuzzy in the fog that was clouding the mirror but distinctly male.  
  
"I don't care about my desires!" I screamed at the mirror. "Give me the damn Stone!" An icy laugh suddenly echoed throughout the chamber. I whirled around and saw Quirrell standing up again. His turban had been knocked off by the impact, and it suddenly occurred to me that I was looking at his back.  
  
"Do you think that the great Lord Voldemort needs a wand to defeat the likes of you?" he asked in a mocking voice that seemed to turn my ice to blood. The back of Quirrell's head had become a face, chalk white with red, glowing eyes that seemed to look through me rather than at me. The new voice was much colder, much less human than Quirrell's had been. He turned around so that I was once again face-to-face with Quirrell. "Kill her quickly," said the voice of Voldemort. "We must retrieve the Stone before Dumbledore returns." Quirrell started towards me and I stumbled backwards, raising my wand.  
  
"Incendio!" I cried, and the familiar blue flames shot out the tip of my wand. Quirrell held up his hands and caught the fire. With a flip of his wrist, the flames were suddenly zooming back towards me. I cried out as the arm of my cloak caught fire. My arm burning, I struggled out of the cloak and threw it on the ground, still smoking. I looked back at Quirrell, who was only a few steps away. I raised my wand, but his hand flew up and caught my wrist. The wand went careening across the room and hit the mirror. Before I could even think of what to do next, he grasped me around the neck with one hand and pinched. I gasped as my airway was cut off and my feet left the floor. I clawed at his hands and kicked my feet, hoping to hit something.  
  
"Jess! Break out!" Cole yelled in my ear. But Quirrell's grip was too strong, and I could feel my health slipping away. I couldn't breathe. Voldemort's laughter echoed all around as panic began to churn into my stomach. Was this what it was like to die in real life? What if something went wrong with the game and I really did die? Quirrell's face and the surrounding room began to fade. After all my struggles, I had lost the game.  
  
"Flipendo!" The word echoed through the chamber and I suddenly felt myself falling. Hitting the cold floor, I gratefully gulped air, letting it extinguish the fire in my lungs. I felt a hand fall on my shoulder and looked up into the green eyes of Harry Potter.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," I croaked, my voice raw in my throat. "Where'd Quirrell go?" Harry stood up and looked around as Quirrell came charging at him. Harry jumped aside and Quirrell shot past him. I pushed myself to my feet as Quirrell continued to chase after Harry. Using the wall to support me, I glanced down at my bars. The green and blue were barely visible.  
  
"Cole, how did Harry win in the book?" I asked as Quirrell made another mad dash at the young wizard. Harry cast his "Flipendo!"spell again and sent Quirrell soaring into the wall.  
  
"Kill him! Kill him!" Voldemort's voice was screaming over and over. I glanced down at my bars again; my energy was slowly building as I stood still against the wall, but I knew I couldn't stay there long. C'mon, Cole, I thought.  
  
"Tell Harry to touch him," Cole said after what seemed like an eternity. "With Voldemort attached, Quirrell can't touch Harry."  
  
"Harry!" I yelled, and Quirrell turned towards me, as if just remembering I was there. "You learned to trust me, Harry. Touch him!" Harry looked skeptical- how could just touching him do anything? But my advice had kept him alive thus far. He tucked his wand into his belt and dove headlong at Quirrell.  
  
Quirrell seemed stunned-perhaps he thought that Harry wasn't stupid enough to attack him without a wand. Whatever the reason, he didn't react quickly enough and Harry plowed him down. Harry placed both his hands on Quirrell's face. Steam began to rise from Quirrell's skin. Screaming, he threw Harry off and clambered to his feet.  
  
"What is this magic?" he cried as the skin on his face blistered and continued to smoke. "Master, what is happening?"  
  
"Never mind!" shouted Voldemort. "Kill them now!" So Quirrell charged forward again, but this time.at me.  
  
I tried to react quickly, but I was moving slowly with the loss of energy. I reached down towards my belt. Taking my eyes off Quirrell, I fumbled his wand out of the pouch on my belt and whirled around to face him again. Held at arm's length, the wand was pointed right between Quirrell's eyes. A look of horror spread over his face as I felt a smile attach itself to my lips. I winked at him and muttered, "Flipendo."  
  
Quirrell went flying into the far wall, slid down, and stayed there. I dropped my arm back to my side and looked over at Harry. Despite many scrapes and cuts, he was smiling from ear to ear. "We did it," he commented.  
  
I nodded slowly. "Only one more thing left to do. Get the Stone out of the mirror." At the puzzled look on his face, I explained, "Just go stand in front of it. As long as you're not planning on using the Stone, you should be able to get it."  
  
Harry walked over to the mirror and stood in front. "Great work, Jess," Cole commented as Harry bent down to pick something up. "I guess you beat this part of the game." Harry stood back up and turned toward me, a blood- red stone clutched in one hand and my wand clutched in the other. I smiled and stumbled forward, hand outstretched to grasp my wand.  
  
A shrill cry rose around the chamber. I whirled back toward where Quirrell lie. A black shadow was forming over his head, shrieking as it grew larger. It floated there for a second, then shot towards me.  
  
"Jess, look out!" I wasn't sure if it was Cole or Harry who screamed. Either way, I wasn't fast enough. My breath caught in my chest as the black cloud went straight through me. The last thing I remembered was seeing Harry running towards me, then there was just darkness.  
  
* * * *  
  
I opened my eyes and looked around. This didn't look like Cole's basement. What was going on? Where the hell was I?  
  
I sat up and continued to examine my surroundings. I was on a soft bed with a small table by its side. On the table lay my wand. All around the room, more beds lined the walls. Sunlight streamed through the windows, reflecting off of pictures that seemed to be. moving? I looked down at my health and energy bars, both of which were completely full. But I had been almost dead.  
  
"Cole?" I called. There was no answer. "Cole, where are you?" Pause.still nothing. In the silence of what I assumed was an infirmary, I heard footsteps approaching. I reached out and grasped my wand, pointing it at the open door. A tall man appeared at the doorway. He had a beard so long he could have tucked it into his belt. He was wearing long, midnight blue robes with golden moons and stars embroidered all over it. His eyes, partly hidden by half-moon glasses, held a fire rarely found in people his age. He smiled as he approached my bed, and something in that smile made me lower my wand.  
  
"A friend of mine, are you?" he asked. His voice seemed light and carefree, with a hint of curiosity. "Tell me, old friend, who are you really?"  
  
"I. uh." What was I supposed to tell him? If I lied, he would surely know, but I didn't think even Professor Dumbledore would believe that was from a different world entirely. "Well, you see, Professor, I. well I."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled and settled down on the bed next to mine. "Perhaps we should start with your name."  
  
"Jess," I said, and desperate to change the subject, I asked, "Where's Harry? What happened to the Stone? Where's Volde."  
  
"Calm down," Dumbledore interrupted. "You're nearly as excited as young Mr. Potter was when he awoke."  
  
"So.so Harry's okay? And Ron and Hermione too?"  
  
"Yes, everyone's alright," Dumbledore replied. "The Sorcerer's Stone has been destroyed so that it cannot fall into the wrong hands again."  
  
"What about Voldemort?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed. "Lord Voldemort escaped before I arrived. When I got to the chamber containing the mirror, Harry was trying to wake you up. Shortly after, on the way back up to the school, he too lost consciousness, mostly from exhaustion. It seems, however, that you are both healthy now. And, thanks to your efforts, Voldemort has once again been thwarted in his quest to regain power." He paused and smiled down at me, then continued. "Now, back to your story." He raised a bushy eyebrow in inquiry.  
  
"Well, Professor, I.whoa!" I was suddenly falling again, the infirmary disappearing above me. The same light tingling came over me again as I was plunged into darkness. "Cole! What's happening?"  
  
There was still no answer as I tumbled through the darkness, not knowing where I was going or what I was getting in to. 


	5. The game within the game

A/N: I'm back!!! Thanks sooooooooo much to DeLorean86 and Roxie for reviewing. You guys are the best!!!!  
  
Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do this, but this next chapter has nothing to do with Harry Potter! Like I said last time, that was technically the last chapter in the Harry Potter fic. But the adventures of Jess and Cole continue! If you like, please review, and I'll update again!!!! Thanks again, and hope someone enjoys!!!  
  
~Sammy Solo  
  
P.S.- I thought everyone should know that the World Cup was my idea entirely, and that I own Brandi Chastain and Mia Hamm. JUST KIDDING!! Sorry! I don't own these people at all, I'm just playing with them!!  
  
I tumbled through the blackness, crying out to Cole to explain what was happening. There was still no answer.  
  
After an eternity of falling, the darkness began to fade. A few more seconds of tumbling, then.  
  
"Oof!" I had landed on grass again, but this time in broad daylight. Looking around, I realized, from much experience, that I was at a soccer game. The crowd behind me was deafening. A chant was running through the stands: "USA! USA! USA!" It was then that it hit me- I wasn't at just any soccer game.  
  
"Cole, check this out!" I yelled over the crowd. "It's a World Cup Game! Go USA!"  
  
Cole still didn't answer, but I was too excited to care. I was at a World Cup Soccer game, and right in the front row, too, seeing as home there were no fans in front of me. I watched the white-shirted U.S. team run up and down the field, playing against a black-shirted team whose country of origin I couldn't tell. And, staring more closely, I saw that this was a women's game! Even better!  
  
It looked like an amazing game; finding the scoreboard with my eyes, I saw that the game was tied 2-2. There were about six minutes left in regulation before overtime started. Both teams looked tired, and the black team's defense seemed almost impassable. . .  
  
"Jess!" For a second I thought Cole had come back, but when I tried to get him to respond again, he didn't answer. "Hey, Jess!" The voice was definitely deeper than Cole's. I turned around to see an older man quickly striding towards me. He was wearing a white jacket with USA in red letters embroidered on the front. "You ready?" he asked.  
  
"Ready for what?" I inquired, confused. He looked down at me, eyebrow raised.  
  
"To go in! Coach told you to stretch. Are you ready yet?" It was then, for the first time, that I examined myself. I, too, was wearing a white jacket, with the same embroidered letters on the front. Unlike my last adventure, there were no health or energy bars floating in front of me. I had on white, knee high socks, bulging with the presence of shin pads. Black Nike spikes completed my outfit. Oh my God! I thought. I'm a player on the U.S. Women's National Team! "Well, are you ready?"  
  
His annoyed voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Y-yeah," I managed to get out. "Where am I going in?"  
  
He reached down and pulled me to my feet. "You'll be going in at left wing. Jess." His voice took on a note of seriousness and he rested his hand on my shoulder. "We need a goal. If this goes into overtime, I don't know if we can hold out. The defense is killing us. You, Mia, and Brandi really need to work together out there. We need it." He patted me on the shoulder and headed over to the bench, assumedly to tell the coach that I was ready to go in. I struggled out of the white jacket. Excitement coursing through me, I started bouncing on the balls of my feet. I was going to play in a World Cup Soccer game!  
  
"Substitute for the United States." The announcer's voice echoed through the stadium. "Number fifteen, Jessica Gabriel, in for number eleven, Amy Malage."  
  
Cheers erupted as my teammate jogged towards me. She grabbed my hand, wished me good luck, and stepped off the field. I took off in a sprint for the far side of the field. I set myself into the left wing position and turned towards the ball, held in the hands of the left halfback. She threw it to the center forward, who turned and ran towards the opposing goal. The back of her shirt was embroidered with a red number nine and the name Hamm. Oh my God, I'm playing soccer with Mia Hamm!  
  
I sprinted up the sideline and called out "Square!" Over the roar of the crowd I could barely hear myself, but Mia seemed to hear me. As she approached a black shirted defender, she slid the ball behind her left foot and sent it skipping towards me. It landed on the inside of my left foot and I dribbled up the field. With a skill I had never known before, I swerved around one defender and turned towards the center of the field. Mia was positioned right in front of the goal, struggling to get away from one of the opposing fullbacks. I jogged forward a few more steps until another defender challenged me. Putting as much strength in my leg as I could, I kicked the ball into the air towards the center of the field. Mia jumped, the goalie jumped. . .  
  
But the goalie's hands reached the ball first and she pulled it out of the air. The crowd groaned as the goalie sent the ball flying down the field to a waiting halfback.  
  
"Nice cross," Mia called, jogging back towards the half line of the field.  
  
"T-thanks," I stammered, in absolute amazement. Mia Hamm, complimenting my soccer playing abilities. . .  
  
"Keep it up," she said, and turned back towards the play happening at the other end of the field. Wow, Mia Hamm. . .  
  
"Who was that?" It was a man's voice that spoke, but in the middle of a Woman's World Cup game? "Jess, can you hear me?" Then I recognized the voice.  
  
"Cole! Where have you been?" I continued to watch the activity at the other end of the field, but listened hard to hear Cole over the constant roar of the fans.  
  
"The screen just went black after you and Harry beat Quirrell. You weren't responding verbally either, and, well. . . I had to go to the bathroom." I laughed, but Cole continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "So, where's Harry? What happened?"  
  
"New adventure, Cole," I said, gasping as the ball zoomed towards the U.S. net. The goalie caught the ball and began to search for an open teammate. I backpedaled, explaining, "It's a World Cup Game, Cole. I'm playing on the U.S. Women's World Cup team." The ball came soaring off of the goalie's foot towards my side of the field. The center halfback turned and caught the ball on her thigh. The name and number on the back of her jersey made my mouth fall open:  
  
Chastain, 6.  
  
I couldn't process it. Me. . . Brandi Chastain. . . same stadium. . . same field. . . same team! This was a dream come true. . .  
  
"Chastain? Isn't she some famous player or something?" Leave it to a boy to ruin a moment like this. I didn't have the time to yell at him, though, as Brandi came sprinting up the field, dodging defenders as she went. The announcer's voice temporarily broke through the noise of the crowd.  
  
"One minute to play in regulation time!"  
  
The screaming from the stands got louder as Brandi shot the ball into the air. "I got it!" I yelled, and started running for the spot under the ball. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of black, and then SLAM! Crying out, I toppled over onto the wet grass. I saw the ball land a few feet away. The defender who had knocked me over got the ball on her foot and started the other way. I scrambled to my feet and sprinted after her, but Mia cut her off and got the ball.  
  
"Switch!" Mia yelled. She sprinted up the sideline, and I hurried to the center of the field. I shot past the fullbacks, too worried about Mia and the ball to notice me. I positioned myself a little behind the goalie and waited. Challenged by two defenders, Mia sent the ball backwards onto the waiting foot of Brandi. Brandi glanced around, looking for someone else to pass it to as the defenders turned to her.  
  
"Ten. . . nine. . . eight. . . seven," The crowd began to count down the seconds till the end of the game. In a final desperate attempt, Brandi sent the ball soaring towards me.  
  
"Six. . . five. . . "  
  
The ball was right on target.  
  
"Four. . . three. . . "  
  
I got under the ball and jumped.  
  
"Two. . . one. . . "  
  
The ball bounced off of my head and towards the net. The goalie dived. . .  
  
But she wasn't fast enough. The ball hit the back of the net with a sound like thunder in the suddenly silent stadium. It stayed silent for an instant. Then, three shrill whistles split the still air. The crowd erupted like a violent volcano.  
  
"United States wins! The U.S. wins the World Cup from a game winning goal by Jessica Gabriel!" The announcer sounded almost as excited as I felt.  
  
My teammates ran towards me and started cheering even louder.  
  
"Alright Jess!" Cole yelled in my ear. "You did it!"  
  
"Jess! Jess! Jess!" A chant ran through the crowd as the World Cup was brought onto the field. It passed through the hands of my teammates before falling into mine. I held it up for all to see and the screaming sounded like it could shatter steel.  
  
"Jess, get ready! It's about to change again!" Cole said.  
"No!" I objected. "Can't I just. . . " But I was cut short as I fell once again into blackness, the now familiar tingling feeling returning. I plummeted into the darkness, on my way to the next adventure. 


	6. Ready for a fight

Chapter 6 A/N: Hey guys! I'm bored, so I'm updating. Um. . . yeah. Well, thanks to DeLorean86, who reviewed chapter 6. . . sorry I took so long to update. Well, here we go. For a change, this part is totally my idea! So don't take it! LOL.  
  
I'm a black belt, so of course one of my adventures has to be something involving fighting. The characters you meet in this chapter are based on my best friends. If you've read "Charmed High", another of my fanfics, you already know two of them. Analise is my friend Jen, Micaela is my friend Mandie, and Kyrsten is my cousin Jackie. Cameos are fun!! Anyway, hope you enjoy, and if you don't, please review and tell me! Thanks a ton!!  
  
~Sammy Solo  
  
"Is this ever gonna end?" I asked in a shaky voice. I knew that this falling thing was just leading me to another adventure, but my stomach was starting to churn violently.  
"Give it a sec, it's gotta load." At least Cole was here this time, and I wasn't stuck by myself through this.  
"Any idea where I'm going next?" I asked.  
"Nope, we just have to let it go." Easy for him to say, he wasn't about to throw up in a video game.  
"Is it me, or is this longer than usual?"  
"Jess, will you just shut." I didn't hear the end of his sentence as I came to a crashing halt. As I sat up, I saw that my new location was not much lighter than my fall had been. Looking around, I saw that I was on a dark side street of a city. A single streetlight gave illumination to the dirty sidewalk on which I sat. I stood up and dusted myself off, looking down at the clothes I now wore. I was back in the attire I had been in before I had entered the game- black swishy pants and a plain white T- shirt. Even the inventory belt was gone.  
"Cole, what's going on?" I asked, confused. "Did I come out of the game?"  
"No," his voice came back. "This is another adventure. Aren't your health and energy still there?" I looked down and saw that he was right; the green and blue bars one again floated in the air in front of me. I was about to say something else, but a sudden banging rang in my ears. I whirled around, but saw nothing but the empty street.  
"Cole, what was that?"  
"The door to the basement. Just.uh. walk around, or something. I'll be right back." Once my heart stopped pounding, I started to stroll up the street. It was a warm night, like early spring. Buildings lined the street on either side and the occasional car sped by past the pavement.  
I passed under the only streetlight and came out on the other side of the small circle of light. The darkness on this side seemed deeper. It felt almost like it was a tangible thing, like I could reach out and touch it.  
A quiet scraping noise came from behind me. I turned around to see what it was, but saw only the same darkness. "Cole, what was that?" There was no answer; he must have still been dealing with whoever was at the door.  
I turned back to my original direction, back towards the darkness. As I took another step forward, I couldn't quite shake the feeling that I was being watched. "Cole, what do I have to do to get out of here?" I asked. I could hear his voice, as well as someone else's, coming quietly into my ear; apparently he wasn't trying to talk to me because I couldn't make out the words. I shuddered at the thought of him not being here with me, but continued down the street anyway, determined to figure this out by myself if I had to. I had taken just a few more steps down the street before I bumped into something hard. I stumbled back a few steps and strained my eyes to see what I had hit. It must have been a pole or something.  
Then the pole took a step forward. It resolved into the face of an older man, covered in dark stubble, with eyes that looked black in the dim light. He was dressed in all black, and when he smiled down at me his teeth were tinted yellow.  
"Hello there," he said in a deep voice dripping with an inner city accent. "What's a little thing like you doing wandering the streets this late?"  
"Uh.just going home," I replied hurriedly, then turned to run the other way. I nearly reached a full sprint, then slammed into another solid object. I fell backwards and pain shot up my back. Rubbing my bruised bottom, I looked up into the face of another man, almost identical to the one I had confronted before.  
"Gee, Spike, what have you found here?" the newcomer asked. He took a step towards me and bent down to pull me up, but I scrambled backwards, away from his outstretched hand. I stood up and drew my fists in front of my chest in a fighting stance, a reflex after my six years of training in the martial arts. The two men continued to smile at me with malice in their eyes.  
"I'm warning you," I said, my voice surprisingly steady with the fear that was coursing through my veins. "I hold a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and will use my skills to defend myself if I have to." My two attackers looked at each other and laughed. As they did, two more men stepped from the shadows into my range of vision, these two even bigger than the ones I already faced. I tried to back up, but I was already against a building.  
"C'mon, girlie, don't make us hurt you," the leader, Spike, said. One of the latecomers took a step forward and grabbed my left wrist. I twisted toward that side and slid my right arm up my left. His grip loosened by my sudden turn, he was forced to let go as my fist pushed against his grasp. For the instant that he let go, his midsection was exposed. That was all the time I needed to land a punch solidly on his floating rib. Air whooshed out of his lungs and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath.  
"Hey!" yelled one of the guys. A hand came down hard on my shoulder and spun me around. Something hard smashed into my stomach and I suddenly couldn't breathe. I stumbled backwards a few steps to catch my breath. I regained my composure fast enough to block a punch aimed at my midsection, then threw a kick toward my attacker. My heel connected with his stomach, then a hastily thrown second kick as he dropped to his knees caught him on the side of his head to finish him off.  
I turned toward my remaining two opponents. With shock painted on every feature, they stared down at their comrades, who were groaning and crawling away from the fight. I spared an instant to check on my health and energy; a little of the green health was gone, and about half of the blue energy.  
I looked back up. Spike smiled, but there was still a hint of fear in his eyes. "They were just a warm up," he said coldly. "Now you'll get a real fight." His hand dug into his pocket and came out with a small red device. He flicked his wrist and a long metal knife came out of the end. I backed away a few steps, hoping to get the chance to run.  
"Jess?" Cole's voice sent a jolt of fear, then one of hope, through me. "What's going. shut up!" Another voice was talking behind Cole's, words indistinct but obviously female. "What's going on, Jess?"  
"Not a good time to talk, Cole," I whispered, watching the two men stalk toward me as I tried to back up. My eyes flicked left and right, searching for an escape route. There was nowhere left to go.  
"Cole, is there any way to." Before I could finish, the two men attacked. Spike lunged at me, knife hand outstretched. I jumped back and turned to face him, watching the glinting knife.  
"Jess!" Cole's voice said in my ear. "Where's the other guy?" Just as he finished talking, my arms were wrenched behind my back. I pulled hard against the grip, but the man held tightly. Spike came around in front of me, smiling his yellow-toothed smile.  
"Now you'll see what happens when you mess with us," he sneered. He drew back his fist. Before he could strike, my leg lashed out and my foot caught him between the legs. He let out a groan and dropped to his knees, grabbing his bruised manhood.  
"Spike, you all right?" asked the guy holding me. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, I stomped hard on his toes. He yelled and let go of my arms. I dropped to my hands and knees and swung my right leg out behind me. My leg contacted his ankle. He collapsed to the ground, and with a final punch to the midsection I made sure he stayed there.  
"Go Jess!!" I spun around, looking for the female voice that had spoken.  
"Yeah, way to.oww!" A different female voice. I had opened my mouth to ask what was going on when another voice took over.  
"Kyrsten, get away from there!"  
"Cole?" I asked. "What's going on?"  
"Noth.stop that!!! Nothing Jess. You haven't changed levels yet though. There has to be something else to it."  
Suddenly, a sharp pain dug into my back. I turned around. Spike was standing behind me, every yellow tooth showing in his smile. Clutched in his right hand was the knife, covered to the hilt in blood.  
"Jess, run!" Another female voice. I tried to stumble away, but ended up tripping and falling to the ground. I caught a glimpse of my health bar: more than half was gone, and the rest was slowly disappearing. Spike started laughing. I tried to get up, but I couldn't move.  
"Cole, what's happening?" I asked, a little panic slipping into my voice. "Why.?"  
Without warning, everything went white. Spike, the dark alley, even my health and energy bars were gone.  
"Cole, where am I?" I asked, not even sure if he could hear me.  
"Jess? You still there?" His voice no longer came into my ear, but instead echoed through the infinite white all around.  
"Yeah, I'm here," I called out. "But where is here?"  
"Well, I guess you lost the game," he replied.  
"That's stupid!" yelled an all-too-familiar female voice. "Jess, you were kickin' butt!"  
"Uh, Cole? Why are they in your basement?"  
"I don't know. They're you're best friends!" he replied. "And somehow," his voice took on a note of anger with that word. "Somehow, they knew the password!"  
"Yeah, little blue bunnies rule!" That would be Kyrsten, the youngest of our group. While the rest of us were seniors in high school, Kyrsten was a junior. That didn't stop her from being involved in our more.mature conversations and activities.  
"Anyway," I said loudly, trying to change the subject before Cole had a chance to respond to that. "What do I do now? How do I get back in?"  
"Umm. hold on a sec, Jess, I'll find out," Cole said in that reassuring voice he had.  
"Hey, Jess, what's up?" That was Analise, another of my friends. Analise was the oldest of the girls in our group, but that didn't much matter at our more.immature moments.  
"Oh, not much, just staring into the white-ness, waiting for something to happen."  
"Sounds like a blast!" came the expected voice. Wherever you had Kyrsten, Analise, and me, you had to have Micaela. Micaela was only a few months older than I was. The four of us could always be found doing something together.  
"Oh, yeah, such fun. I can't stand."  
"PLAY AGAIN?"  
I jumped and cried out as a man's voice echoed through the blank space.  
"Uh.yeah?" It was more of a question than a statement, but the voice didn't seem to care. In an instant I was back on the dark, filth-laden street. "Oh boy," I muttered. "Cole, can't I skip this level?"  
"No, I don't think you can," he replied. "But I'm about to make it easier on you."  
"How?" I asked.  
"Trust me," he said. "Just get going."  
I sighed and started off down the street. It was even creepier than before, despite the fact that nothing had changed. I approached the streetlight and stopped.  
"Cole, whatever you're gonna do, do it fast." I could hear him talking, probably to Kyrsten, Micaela, and Analise, but couldn't make out what he was saying.  
Well, here goes nothing, I thought. I took a step towards the streetlight, then started to take another.  
"NEW PLAYER IN GAME!"  
My heart leaped out of my chest as the voice boomed down the empty street. My ears ringing, I asked, "Cole, what was that?"  
"That was this," said a voice from behind me. I spun around, fists in front of my chest, expecting to see Spike ready to start the fight. Instead, I was face to face with.  
"Cole?" I felt my jaw drop a few inches, but my heart flutter with relief as he stepped into the dull light emanating from the lamp overhead. "What are you doing here? Who's running the game?"  
"We are!" said Micaela, Analise, and Kyrsten at the same time.  
I looked amazedly at Cole. "You actually let them touch your equipment?"  
"Well, they were there anyway. I was getting bored with watching, and my legs were getting kinda stiff from sitting there, and."  
"And we wouldn't stop bugging him," interrupted Micaela, and giggles erupted from the three girls.  
"Aw, Cole, you softy," I said in a sweet voice. "You know the only reason you let them run it is because they asked to."  
"Absolutely not!" Cole yelled, blushing slightly. "Now can we get on with this before they find a way to fry our brains with this machine?"  
He strolled past me, stepping out of the light. I smiled and followed him, more confident now and ready to face the adventure waiting on the other side. 


	7. A fight and a surprise

A/N: Hey guys!! Really sorry to leave ya hanging like that. . . I thought I finished the fight! Anyway, I actually own everything in this chapter! YAY!!!! Go me, so. . . don't steal anything. . . or I'll sick Jess and Cole on you! Don't know when the next section will be posted. . . as requested by reviewer Bob-the-bear, the next chapter will be about Charmed. Unfortunately, I haven't written it yet, so you have to wait. REVIEW!! Hope you enjoy this one!!  
  
~Sammy Solo  
  
We stepped out of the bright streetlight and into the darkness beyond.  
  
"Cole, not be rude or anything," I said. "But where did you learn to fight?"  
  
"That was rude," Cole replied with a snort. A snicker ran through the spectators in the basement.  
  
"I mean, you wouldn't join Tae Kwon Do with me," I explained. "Have you been taking classes and not telling me?"  
  
"No, but I can still fight," he said defensively. "I'm a guy, and all guys can fight. Besides, if worse comes to worse, I'll distract them while you. . ."  
  
"Well well, look what we have here." Cole and I both jumped as a shape slithered out of the shadows. As it took another step forward, the shape resolved itself into the form of a man's body. . . Spike.  
  
"Such a gentleman," Spike continued with that awful, yellow smile on his face. "Walking the lady home? How about you give me your money, and maybe I'll let you two go safely."  
  
I sighed dramatically. "Alright, Spike," I said, suppressing a snicker as his jaw dropped a few inches. How could I possibly know his name? "We've been through this before. Why not just let us go and save yourself a lot of pain?"  
  
"Hey, kid, I. . . I ain't jokin' around here," he stammered, trying to cover his confusion with toughness. "If you don't cooperate, you're gonna regret it."  
  
"Listen Spike, this is how it goes," Cole said with a cocky edge to his voice. "My friend and I are both black belts." It was harder to keep from laughing this time as Analise, Micaela, and Kyrsten burst into giggles. Cole, a black belt? Never. Cole rolled his eyes as my friends continued to laugh.  
  
"Black belts, huh?" Spike's voice had suddenly become cockier than Cole's. "Let's see how a pair of black belts deals with this. Guys!"  
  
Cole and I whirled around, facing the two large men as they stepped from the shadows. I slid into a fighting stance. Cole did the same, watching and copying my hand and foot placement.  
  
"So, how do the two of us take on the three of them?" Cole asked nervously.  
  
"Four of them," I corrected. "There's gonna be another behind us."  
  
"Even better," Cole commented sarcastically. "What do we do?"  
  
"Stay there," I said. I turned quickly and stood with my back against his. Spike held the red hilt in his hand, and with a swift movement of his wrist the knife extended.  
  
"Why do I get the big guys?" Cole asked into my ear.  
  
"Because I've got the guy with the knife," I replied, never taking my eyes off Spike. Another man stepped out of the shadows, the expected fourth opponent.  
  
"This is you're last chance, kid," Spike said, pointing the knife directly at my chest. "Just give up, or you're gonna pay for it."  
  
"Bring it on," I growled, and that was the only incentive Spike needed.  
  
"Get 'em!" he yelled. Both men dove towards me. I threw up my leg, the inside of my right foot knocking Spike's knife hand aside. Without dropping my foot, I turned my hip and drove the heel of my sneaker into my other opponent's rib cage. As my right leg finally came down, I used that momentum to slam my elbow into Spike's chest.  
  
As Spike stumbled back and grabbed his chest, I glanced over at Cole. He had a bloody nose, but he was still standing. His fists were pounding away at one the big guys. But where was the other?  
  
My question was quickly answered. The other big guy came crawling out of the shadows. He climbed to his feet and drew his fist back, aiming at Cole's head.  
  
"Cole, watch out!" My warning was echoed by three other voices. I had completely forgotten about Kyrsten, Micaela, and Analise.  
  
At the sound of our yells, Cole turned to look at me.  
  
"Duck!" I cried. I started to run for him, but suddenly my legs weren't under me anymore. I fell to the ground, my chin contacting solidly with the concrete. I bit my tongue hard and immediately tasted metallic blood in my mouth. I rolled to my right, unfortunately covering myself with filth. I scrambled to my feet, using the wall that was suddenly in front of me to help myself up. I felt something wet on my face. I reached up and wiped my hand across my chin. The fingers came away red.  
  
"Had enough, kid?" asked the fourth guy. I was right back where I had started, facing both men, Spike still clutching the knife. Now I had something else to worry about, though: my back was to the wall this time.  
  
"Guys, where's Cole?" I asked under my breath.  
  
"He's coming, Jess," answered Analise.  
  
As if on cue, the sound of running footsteps echoed down the street. Both men turned around, and in the gap between them I saw Cole charging forward. Spike raised his knife, ready to strike at Cole when he came close enough.  
  
"Hey, Spike!" I called. As he turned, I got a short running start and leapt into the air. His eyes widened as my foot flew towards him.  
  
SLAM! The knife careened away, and Spike hit the concrete hard. Not surprisingly, he didn't get back up.  
  
I landed shakily, and when I got my balance, I turned to face my final opponent. His eyes were wide, his mouth gaping. Cole was standing next to him, feet and hands positioned in a bad interpretation of a fighting stance.  
  
"Had enough yet?" Cole asked mockingly. The guy stumbled back a few steps, eyes jumping between Cole and me, as if trying to decide whether or not he was humble enough to run from a pair of kids.  
  
I made the decision for him. "Get him!" I yelled. Cole and I ran towards him. All pride forgotten, the man turned and sprinted off down the street.  
  
"We did it!" Cole cried. Laughing, Cole and I pulled each other into a tight embrace. My ear came just up to his chest, so as we touched I could hear his heart pounding. As our laughter subsided, I realized I didn't want him to let go of me. He pushed me away a little, so that I could look into his eyes. He looked at me differently than he looked at everyone else. I had noticed it before: something more seemed to shine in his eyes when he looked at me. My heart stopped in my chest as I felt his breath on my face. I'm nervous, I realized. It's only Cole. Why am I nervous? Cole reached out and wiped the blood from my chin, and his touch on face was enough to make my breath quicken.  
  
As if on instinct, I leaned a little closer. I was surprised by my own actions. Then I noticed that he was doing the same thing. Our lips floated inches apart. Something deep inside me stirred. Oh my God, he's gonna kiss me!  
  
"Uh. . . Cole? The machine's kinda beeping at us."  
  
At the sound of Analise's voice, Cole and I both jumped and quickly pulled away from each other. I felt the heat rise in my face as Cole and I made eye contact again. He was also blushing. Would he really have kissed me? I wondered. What would have happened afterwards? What if. . . ?  
  
Cole cleared his throat. "That means we'll be changing soon."  
  
"Oh. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't gonna blow up or anything," Analise explained  
  
"Nice moves," Cole said to me.  
  
"Yeah," I said simply. Why can't I talk to him? I sound like an idiot. "Thanks for the help." God, am I that desperate to say something?  
  
"No prob," he said, smiling that wonderful smile, his blue eyes shining. He didn't seem to be able to think of anything to say either. "I guess. . . "  
  
And then I was falling again. I plunged into the darkness, left to my own confused thoughts. Will Cole be in my next adventure, too? As I continued to fall, I wasn't sure what I wanted the answer to be. 


End file.
